St. George's Park Pitch Restoration Process Will Be Beneficial To Cricket In South Africa
An endeavour to provide the home of Eastern Province Cricket, St
Ronel Dawson
30-Jan-2001
An endeavour to provide the home of Eastern Province Cricket, St. George's Park, with the best possible pitches in the long term and at the same time be ready for the 2003 World Cup semi-final has confronted the EP Cricket Board (EPCB) with a unique challenge.
This has sparked the EPCB to start a dynamic pitch restoration process. The
process had to take into consideration that St. George's Park has only seven
pitches - only two in line with TV vantage points.
According to Chief Executive Officer for EP Cricket, Dave Emslie, the EPCB
inherited pitches that were in a satisfactory condition, but it was soon
realised that they needed dedicated management.
"After an assessment of the seven pitches, it was decided to play on them to
see how they would perform and then make an informed evaluation.
"It soon became clear that with more professional pitch management, St.
George's Park could produce better pitches, but one of the greatest concerns
was the fact that the amount of inorganic matter that settled over years
under the pitch making it difficult to produce hard pitches that will
guarantee carry and bounce. EP Cricket had to take a brave decision."
It was decided to stagger the process. Earlier pitches one and two were
dug up and replaced. "The results were not exactly what we wanted and was
redone. It also became clear that we needed a world class pitch three, as it
provides the best vantage point for TV coverage."
Pitch 3 was replaced in August of last year. This was done under the
supervision of the UCB pitch consultants, Prof. Neil Tainton and John Klugg.
No time, effort or expense was spared.
According to Emslie, pitches one and two will "mature" by the time the World
Cup starts in 2003. By then half the table will have been replaced while
the other half will be receiving attention after the World Cup."
"We will go on with the restoration process, monitoring the pitches and
replacing them until all seven strips have been replaced. From there, we
will continue monitoring the performance of the pitches and replace them
cyclically every six to seven years," he says.
However, before EP can enjoy the fruits of their work, they will still face
many obstacles before the deadline of the Cricket World Cup in 2003.
One of these obstacles is Port Elizabeth's weather. In the preparation of
any pitch, weather conditions play a major role and in PE, the prevailing
southwesterly is not always conducive for efficient pitch preparation. This
obviously makes preparation difficult, but ground staff is becoming adept at
manipulating the complex process of pitch preparation.
"The ground staff had a massive task in ensuring the pitch receives
acceptable ratings in the restoration process. The factor of the limited
pitch space available also obstructed their work. They, however, never
compromised the quality of the pitch unduly," Emslie compliments.
"Although the restoration process is a long and at times, frustrating
process for everyone involved, the Eastern Province Cricket Board won't give
up on their vision of pitches that bounce and carry.
"We are confident that in time the restoration process at St. George's Park
will be pay off the dividends. We will in the immediate future feel the
effects of limited pitch space but believe the long term result will be good
for the game of cricket in South Africa."